Curtain carrier designed to operate on curved track



E. J. VALLEN Nov. 10, 1953 CURTAIN CARRIER DESIGNED TO OPERATE ON CURVED TRACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 17, 1950 I INVENTOR. 54kt. 1/4445N BY Nov. 10, 1953 E. J. VALLEN 2,658,572

CURTAIN CARRIER DESIGNED TO OPERATE ON CURVED TRACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 17, 1950 L; 1. "2 INVENTOR. l I I 5 W445i W ,5 %4 BY VLLEN fi /0 ATTORNEY -rai1s. these rollers is a pair of guider rollers each of Patented Nov. 10, 1953 STATES PATENT IQ'FFI-C-E' :G E AI QQABBIE IG ED-I Q ERA'EE. QNCUBYED TRACK Earl J; Vallen, Akron fihio h nl eati h J ,;Seria 3Nm1 :4 lii1 w im-34.6)

"18 Claims.

This inventiontrelatesl toapparatus fo1*,.,op en- .ing and cl sing sta e .eurt n v d ap ries and t h r-lik T pattieularly, th inv t on eilates vto an improved =carrier for supporting a curtain insuch apparatus; and; the combination of such ,a carrier with the trac k ,on which it operates.

The apparatus meludesa 39k and a A number of carriers,positioned thereon from which the l1 i,I1-iS .1l5Rn. IIO p nthe cu tain all r 0f thehcarriersva m yed, oward one. end, ofth track ,wh ne the ebhtveaeh other s t at th curtain is folded into acoxnpact mass. Toclose the curtainthe carriers; aremoved in succession away from. the. ehsiwpftthetra k.

Space. isata m umint theatres otheequ p- ,ment, of thisinvention is desi ned-t0. f ld. a 111- aini ntottherme heqmpac -mas pos ibl Th improved carrier 91" thi inv nti n a is ad antau lywde i nedyto b e'lessthan .tw hqh rQ frontto rear.

he. arrieriis designed nartieul r yt epe at o a-t a k orme w t twoflsnaeed parall ai an hevinecume seetiq y th te ni as .well as stra h sect on i-T learri r may b moved lf 'e y ro nd sh pleredi seu v r commen u v l rr ve se c r e h u rbindinewor iamming' in the tragk ails.

The .respec i lem h o it e.ear ier.ar ;d signedto roll along'the portions ofjthe'traek which they contact. {The shapeoi each element is complementary to'the surface contour of the portion of the track on, which itv rolls. The parrier structure includes a pair of supportii g rollers mounted on a horizontalaggis which are adapted to roll'on' the upper surfacecf the track Supported below a member which spaces which is located in the space between the track railsand is adapted to rotate on a substantially vertical axis, one ahead of the other. Support- 'ing -means -for these guide rollersyis provided which is loosely connectedto the spacing member'so' that thehorizontal rollers may be turned swivelly with respect to the guide-rollers. -T his L structurepermits the horizontahrollers to I be turned-orsteered around-acurved section of track so that the-carrier moves-freely; around a curve Without hindrance.

One or -more vertical rotatable elements 7, -mcunted above the supporting rcllersare adapted to contact a guide member-fastened :along the outer "side of the rails abovetthe 1 track. These elements w? e; ui m mb r erti.e larl at a-curve to prevent the carrier from tippingto ei ideertheether h the a ime id n thecarrier arpund thehcurve. In any installation each carrier is,connected,to the next adjacent carriers by. flexible tension members, such a l nk .ehain derlt iik The e .eha h ar jastened; to .the. respective carriers atthe level. of th rack Th i e a le by the eheih wh n v h cu tain is cl se an ey ai in stee th arr er arou eu t e- Il verti ehid oller whi ide bet e the rails are rotatably mounted on two pins. Qne of these pins, preferably the one which is at the te hen t eurteihl eth ihe.eleee i somewhat, longerv than ,the other. SWiVeIly l fastened .to its,lower endlisea loop to which the curtain ,isliasitened. This keepsthisendof the carrier weighted so that there is little tendency for it .t Jump the .t aeh B,e. Q.w t e. guid r l er n the-other pin is a blockwhichnis; of greater width than the,,dis tance between the rails. .It revents this end. .of theearrier. from Jump th tra k- .Tnhet operatio .ofth y rie i lem t as. h teerr ernismove iwi h m re-hi xpl h rin .what iollows.

In the d awin s.

IEie. t sshowsa ra .s-see io a .V of a pre- 7. t nte z.track.ahd-. the on .ehd. of. a p fe r earrier p sit on di Qnl the. trac s sid le erat'on ofthe carrier an track howt 12., 11flilr,in, c1105sx sec ion take alon th J Zl...2-2,,0f Ri -.1;

E re-t is..a, p an vie of} he ee ri i the ac itak henvthe in =v f Fi l Eig. A is ,a ,view; of nthe, carrier alone from the back end, showing the uppenand lower portions of the carrierturnedrelatively to One another;

Eig E; is a planiyi ew of the carrier. when it is I being moved arourid a. curve .in ,the direction .tete e hthe-eur Fi i e -v ew. show ne h p t o or the vertical guide rollers whenthe carriei is in the eeitie ieh whinlfi e-r 7 eeinlaniiew eftth e rrierl whenit is ,heihe h1 fze er. i h 'aur$fe i t e d re t on to .eloseth r ain; A, e, 8 isze plan;yiewe ew h tthe p si n of wherer euid rollere h n th ee ieiin .t eiie itie s ow i ii 7;

, Fla, sle lan. i wh ar v rs eurr d r ck it ll qu astiche. o the vertical guide teller The preferred track, shown in cross section in Fig. l, is formed with two spaced parallel rails 2 and 3. The rails are supported at spaced intervals by the inverted U-shaped hangers 5, being fastened on the inside surface of the downwardly extending sides of each hanger 5 by the screws 8. In the usual installation the upper surface ID of the rails is level. Certain sections of the track may be curved as shown in Figs. 5-8. Hereafter in this application whenever reference is made to a curved portion of the track, the rail having the greater radius of curvature at that curve will be designated as the outside rail and the rail having the smaller radius of curvature will be designated as the inside rail.

The carrier is supported on the track by the rollers l2 and I3 which are adapted to roll along the upper surface of the rails 2 and 3 respectively. These rollers are mounted at the ends of a short horizontal axle M on opposite sides tween the rollers I2 and I3, and on opposite sides of the axle M, as shown in Fig. 1, pin [9 being toward the rear of the carrier and pin 20 being toward its front end.

Loosely mounted on the pins 19 and 28, respectively, are the vertical guide rollers 26 and 2'5. These rollers are slightly narrower than the space between the rails, and as the carrier is moved along the track these vertical guide rollers are adapted to contact the inwardly facing surface 28 of either the rail 2 or the rail 3, as

will be more fully explained. Both vertical guide rollers are supported on a circular block 29 which surrounds the lower portion of pin 2!] between the bottom of roller 2'! and the bottom plate 23.

The curtain is suspended from the wire loop 32 which is swivelly attached to the lower end of the pin l9 between its head and the underside of the bottom plate 23. It is important that the curtain be swivelly connected to the carrier. Oth- "erwise, when the carrier is moving around a curve, the weight of the curtain may tend to twist the carrier and cause it to jam between the rails. The weight of the curtain supported by pin i} keeps the rear of the carrier on the rails and the block 29 prevents the front end from rearing up and leaving the track.

The holes 21 and 24 in the bottom plate 23 and the spacing member It, respectively, are of larger diameter than the diameter of the pins I9 and which extend through them. This provides a non-rigid connection between the spacing member l6 and the bottom plate 23, so that the spacing member 16 may be swivelled through small arcs to the left or right, around the pin [9 which is weighted by the curtain and therefore seldom tilts to the right or left. The pull of the curtain may tilt it forward as the curtain is being opened, and backward as it is being closed, although the block 29 limits the amount the carrier may be tilted forward or back. Fig. 4 shows the spacing member it swivelled relative to the bottom plate 23. When turned in such a position the pin is to one side. As the carrier is moved around a curve this construction makes it possible for the horizontal supporting rollers 12 and I3 to be steered into the curve so that they will roll freely, rather than being slid on the surface of the rail. To permit the spacing member IE to be turned through a greater arc, thereby permitting the rollers l2 and [3 to be turned more sharply, the holes 2| and 24 may be enlarged. Alternatively, the carrier may be formed with the pins [9 and 20 spaced farther apart but this will usually be undesirable since it is advantageous to keep the carrier as'small as possible to conserve space at the end of the track when the curtain is opened. The preferred carrier operates most effectively on curves having a radius of at least three feet.

The forward end of the spacing member I6 is provided with a wing portion 35 which extends outwardly from the right side of the member (Fig. 3) and a vertical roller 38 is mounted on a pin 39 which projects vertically from the wings upper surface. The roller 38 is adapted to contact and roll against a guide member 40 which extends along the track above the rails. As

shown in Figs. 1-3, the guide member 40 is preferably a fiat, metal strip which is fastened to the hanger 5 above rail 2 by rivets 41. It is located along the straight portions of the track and around the inside rail at a curved section. In a preferred installation the movement of the carriers in the track is controlled by the cable 42 which extends along the center of the track above the carriers. At a curved section of the track such as is shown in Figs. 5-8 the cable will shift over the inside rail, where it presses roller 38 against the guide member 40 as the carrier is moved around the curve.

For the usual installation the track will be curved only once, either toward the right or the left of the straight section. The carriers will be manufactured as rights and lefts and the proper carrier is selected to mate with the curvature of the track. The carrier shown in Figs. l-8 is designated as a right and is used for a track which is curved in the direction indicated. For a track whichcurves in the opposite direction a left carrier would be employed. A left carrier is identical to a right except that the wing portion 35 projects from the left side of the spacing member 16. The roller 38 is located on the left wing portion in the same manner as on the carrier shown. For a track with a left curve the guide member as is located along the rail which is the inside rail at the curve, so that the roller 36 is pressed against the guide member by the cable. The guide member 40 is always located above the rail which is the inside rail at a curve.

When the roller 33' contacts the guide member 'it stabilizes the carrier in an upright position, keeping the rollers l2 and I3 centered properly on the rails. The roller 38 aids in guiding the carrier around the curve, as will be more fully explained.

The spacing member I6 is provided With a vertical post &3 at the front of the carrier, at about its centerline. As shown in Fig. 2, the cable extends between the post 43 and the guide roller 38. Along a straightsection of the track this post tends to rub the side of the cable slightly, just enough to maintain the rollers 52 and I3 in proper alignment with the rails.

A plurality of carriers are used to support a curtain along a track. The inside edge of the curtain which is moved toward an outer end of the track to open the curtain is supported by a master carrier (not shown). The control cable 42 is rigidly fastened to the master carrier and is; conven on ll pported by pulleys, o shown), at the, ends of the track. Each carrier is connected to the carriers next to it in the track Qby flexible members such as the link.

chain 50, The chains are connected to the pins I9 and zllabove the vertical rollers 26 and '21. In the open position of the curtainwhere the carriers abut each other at one end ofthe track the chains drape downwardly between each two adjacent carriers and hang in the slot 5| formed at each end ofv the bottom plate 23. The downwardly extending flanges 54at each end of the bottom plate 23 willbe in faceto-face contact with the similar hanges on the two adjacent carriers, so that the slots 5| of abutting carriers cooperate to form a chamber to receive the chains, This construction is irnportantso that the chains do notoccupy any. of thetrackspace.

To close the curtain the cable is moved so that themaster carrier is pulled away from the end of the track. The master carrier unfolds its portion of the curtain and moves along the track until the chain 50 connecting with the next carrier becomes taut. The chain then pulls this carrier, and in a similar manner the other carriers are successively pulled away from the end. of the track by their respective chains. Thus the pull on the carriers to close the curtain is taken by the chains rather than the curtain fabric itself so that there is no danger of direction in which the carrier is moved to open the curtain. The chains 50 exert no pulling effect when the curtain is being opened; As soon as the cableis moved to open the curtain (arrow B) the rear-fold attachment 55, provided for each carrier, frictionally engages the cable so that each carrier is individually pulled by h able- The rear-fold attachment 55, is a flat plate loosely fastened to the downwardly extending flange 56at the rear of the spacing member IS on each carrier by Wire ring 51. The outer end of the attachment is provided, with a hole 58 which is of larger diameter than the diameter of the cable (see Fig. 2) which passes through the hole. This attachment is the subject of my U. S. Patent No. 2,012,460. Its purpose is to bring the carriers to the end of the track in an orderly manner and prevent the various carriers from bunching together before they reach the end of the track.

As soon as the cable is moved in the direction of arrow B to open the curtain the rear-fold attachment '55 on each carrier is swung into the position shown inFigs. 2, 3 and 5 where the hole 58 produces a snubbing effect ou the cable to frictionally engageit. The cable is preferably of the type having a steel wire core and covered with a fabric or plastic cover sothat the attachment 55 is easily engaged, As each carrier reaches the end of the track its rear-fold attachment bumps against, the carrier ahead of it, and is swung upward to a position shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 2. In this positionthe attachment is disengaged Irom the cable and the cable slides freely through the hole 58. The attachment 55 is also inthe verticalpositionwhereit cannot engage the cable when thecable is moved in the direction of arrow A to close the curtain. Thus the carriers are brought end to end at the end of the track in an orderly manner, and successive lengths of the curtain supported by the respective carriers, are folded, one after the other.

If the track is formedwith reverse curves (Fig. 9), the carrier shown in Fig. 10 will be employed; This carrier is identical-to the carrier shown in Fig. 3 except that there is a wingportion projecting from each side of the spacing member. Vertical rollers, 38a and 38b; are provided on the wings. The sides of the track are lined with guide members 40:; and 40b. When the carrier ofFig. 10 is moved into the first arcuate portion 44 of the track of Fig 9the control cable presses the roller 3811 against the guide member 40a along rail 45. After the carrier is moved into the reversely curved portion 46 the cable shifts .to a position over the opposite rail 41 and presses the roller 38b against the guide member 40?) along rail 41. Post 43 is omitted from the spacing member of the carrier of Fig. 10 so that the cable can shift back and forth between rollers 38a and 38b.

The position of the vertical'guide rollers 26 and 2'! at a curve will depend upon whetherthe carrier is being pulled by the chains 50 (arrow A) or whether the carrier is being pulled by the engagement of the rear-fold attachment -(ar: row B). Figs. 5 and 6 show the relative positions of the respective elements of the carrier when moving in direction-B in contrast to the relative positions shown in Figs. 7 and s when the carrier is being moved in direction A;

When moving in direction A, at a curved portion of the track, the-chains 50 pull on each of the pins in the direction shown in Fig. 8'so that the vertical guide rollers 28"and flare pressed against the inside rail at the curve as they roll around it. Fig. '7 shows that the control cable 2 presses the vertical guide roller 38 against the guide member 40., The pins and the guide roller 38 hold the spacing member 16in position so that the horizontal rollers l2 and I3 rollfreely along the rails at the curve.

When the carrier is moving in direction B into a curve the vertical rollers 26 and flare shifted to a position such as isshown in Fig. 6. The pressureof the cable on roller lit holds the vertical roller 21 in contact with the inside rail 2. There is no pull exerted by the chains so that the rear portion of the carrier is substantially free to float in an are around the roller 21-. When travelling'in direction B' the rear vertical roller 26 leads roller 21. As the carrier moves from a straight section of the track into a'curve roller 25 continues to move ahead 7 in a straight path until it strikes the inner surface 28 of the outside rail at the curve, as shown in- Fig. 6. The pressure of the carrier aga'inst the rail causes the pin 9 to lean slightly toward the inside rail thereby turning or steering the rearward end of the spacing member 6 to a position where the horizontal rollers i2 and [3 roll on the rails. As the carrier proceeds around the curve the vertical roller 25 remains inpressure contact with the outer rail and progressively turns the spacing member so that the horizontal rollers and I3 move freely. The pull exerted on the'rear of the spacing member -l6by-the attachment 55 complements the action of the roller 26.

After the carrier has passed beyond the curve into a straight section the control cable 42 shifts laterally toward the center of the track and in doing so pushes against the post 43. This straightens the spacing member I6 and aligns rollers l2 and I3 with the rails.

Figure 9 shows schematically the movement of the vertical guide rollers of a carrier of the type shown in Fig. 10 when the carrier is being moved in direction B. If the carrier is moved in opposite direction (arrow A) it is understood that due to the pull of the chains, both vertical rollers will roll against whichever rail happens to be the inside rail at the curved portion at which the carrier is located.

When proceeding in the direction of arrow B, as shown in Fig. 9, roller 21' is held against inside rail 45 due to the pressure of the cable against roller 38a. The leading vertical roller 26' contacts the outside or opposite rail 41 at the point 6|. The vertical rollers 26' and 21' remain in this relative position around the curve until the carrier reaches section 63 where the track begins to curve in the reverse direction. The cable then shifts to press against roller 38!) and this presses vertical roller 21 against rail 46 which becomes the inside rail at this section and the leading roller 26' moves over into contact with the rail 45, which is the outside rail at this section.

The various rollers of the carrier, etc, are

preferably of a hard wood and the rails 3 and 4 forming the track are also preferably of wood. The wood used for the rails is chemically impregnated with graphite or the like to prevent warping and to permit the portions of the carrier to slide freely along them. The various rollers and the rails may be of metal, or they may be of a pressed fiber composition material, or may be of a suitable plastic. Non-metallic members are preferred since the operation is 4'.

quieter as the carriers are moved back and forth along the track. The top plate and bottom plate and pins, etc. are preferably of a light-weight metal such as aluminum. The carrier is not limited to the particular design illustrated and changes may be made within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A curtain carrier adapted to roll along a. track formed of two spaced, parallel rails, which carrier comprises a frame, two spaced, rollers with horizontal axes in axial alignment rotatably mounted on said frame, said rollers being adapted to move along said rails, two pins supported by said frame and directed downwardly therefrom, one in front and one behind the axis of the rollers, and on each pin a guide roller adapted to move between the rails, one of said pins being tiltable with respect to the frame so as to facilitate the use of the carrier on a curved track.

2. A curtain carrier adapted to roll along a track formed of two spaced, parallel rails, which carrier comprises a frame, two rollers with horizontal axes in axial alignment rotatably mounted on the frame and adapted to move along said rails, loosely supported by said frame two downwardly directed pins, one in front and one behind the axis of the rollers, on each pin a guide roller adapted to move between the rails, and curtain-supporting means fastened to the bottom of one of said pins,

3. A curtain carrier adapted to roll along a track formed of two spaced, parallel rails, which carrier comprises a frame, two rollers with horizontal axes in axial alignment rotatably mounted on the frame with spacing means between them,-

said rollers being adapted to move along said rails, loosely supported by said frame two downwardly directed pins, one in front and one behind the axis of the rollers, on each pin a guide roller adapted to move between the rails, and on one of the pins and below the guide roller thereon a block which is wider than the space between the rails.

4. A curtain carrier adapted to roll along a track formed of two spaced, parallel rails, which carrier comprises a frame, two rollers with horizontal axes in axial alignment rotatably mounted on said frame and adapted to move along said rails, two downwardly directed pins loosely supported by said frame, one in front and one behind the axis of the rollers, a guide roller on each pin adapted to move between the rails, curtainsupportin means fastened to the bottom of one of the pins and a block on the other pin below the roller thereon which block is wider than the space between the rails.

5. A curtain carrier adapted to roll along a track formed of two spaced, parallel rails, which carrier comprises a frame, two rollers with horizontal axes in axial alignment mounted on said frame and adapted to move along said rails, two downwardly directed pins loosely supported by said frame, one in front and one behind the axis of the rollers, on each pin a guide roller adapted to move between the rails, curtain-supported means fastened to the bottom of one of the pins, on the other pin below the roller thereon a block wider than the space between the rails, and. around each pin and above the guide roller thereon a chain, each chain being adapted to connect the carrier with another carrier.

6. A curtain carrier adapted to move along a track composed of two spaced, parallel rails, there being a guide member along one side of the track and above it, which carrier comprises two supporting rollers in axial alignment and spacing means between them, the rollers bein adapted to move along the respective rails, depending from the spacing means, guide means adapted to move between the rails, abovethe spacing means and near one corner of the carrier a vertical axis having thereon a follower which is adapted to contact the guide member, a vertical pin spaced inwardly from the follower, the space between the follower and the pin being adapted to accommodate a cable, and means for propelling the carrier by the cable.

'7. A curtain carrier adapted to move along a track formed of spaced, parallel rails, which carrier includes an upper plate on which supporting rollers are mounted on horizontal axes in axial alignment, a lower plate, two holes in the upper plate along the centerline of the carrier, one before the axis of the supportin rollers and the other behind it, two holes in the lower plate, the distance between the holes in the lower plate being the same as the distance between the holes in the upper plate, two pins loosely held in the holes, heads on each pin above the upper plate and below the lower plate so that the plates are held together by the pins, a guide roller on each pin located to move through the space between the rails, a chain fastened to each pin above the guide rollers and below the upper plate, and a notch in the front and back edge of the lower plate into which the respective chains are adapted to hang when not under tension.

. 8. A curtain carrier adapted to move along a track composed of two spaced, parallel rails, there beingla. guide-.men 1 beralong one side of the, track, and, above it, which, carrier, oomprises' two supporting; rollers in axial, alignment, andspacin means ,between them, the rollers be ng adapted to, move along the respective, rails, depending from the spacing meansguide'means adaptec l v to movebetween. the rails, above, the spacing means and, near one corner, of the, carrier. a. follower adaptedto contact. the .guidemember, spa iedjnwardly from the follower aplimfthe, space be,- tween, the follower and thepin, being adapted to, accommodate a. cable, meansforfpropelling the, carrier by, the cable, curtain suppopting meansifastenedtothe lower end. of. one of the pins; under the lower plate, and-,around the other pin below, the. guide roller, a/bloclc whi h; i f greater width than, the, space, between, the rails,

9..A, curtain carrier, adapted to move, alongl a track formed, of, spaced, .parallelrailswith a, guide atone sid of. the track. and above the rails, which includesan axle, a supporting roller near each endof. the, axle, anuppen plate whichincludes. means; which spaces the; Supporting rollers, a; lower plate with vertical flanges at the front and rear, two, holes in, the upper plate along the centerline of th carrier, one before the axis of the supporting rollers v and the, other behind it, two holes in the lower plate, the distance between the holes in the lower plate being thesame as the distance, between the holes in the upper plate, two. pins loosely passingthroughthe holeswith headsabove the upper plate and below thelower plate'so thatthe plates are loosely. united'by the pins, avertical guide roller, on each pin adapted to move through the space between the rails, curtain-supporting means fastened to the 'bottom of the rear pin, a block wider than the space between the tracks on the front pin below the guide roller and above the upper plate, a chain fastened to each pin above the guide rollers and below the upper plate, a notch in the front and back edge of the lower plate into which the respective chains are adapted to hang when not under tension, above the upper plate and at the front of the carrier a follower to contact said guide, in line with the aforesaid pins a rigid pin which is substantially laterally in line with the follower, said rigid pin and the follower being spaced from one another to accommodate a cable between them, and around the cable a rearfold attachment which is fastened to the rear of the upper plate.

10. A curtain carrier adapted to move along two spaced, parallel rails, which includes two rollers and only two rollers, one of the rollers being adapted to move along each of the respective rails, the two rollers having horizontal axes in alignment, a plate supported by the rollers, depending from the plate pins located on opposite sides of the axis of the rollers, the pins being loosely fastened in the plate so as to be tiltable with respect to one another, a guide roller rotatably mounted on each pin and adapted to be between the rails when the carrier is moved along the rails, and curtain-attaching means at the bottom of one of the pins.

11. A curtain carrier adapted to move along two spaced, parallel rails with vertical inner walls, which carrier includes a supporting roller adapted to move along each rail, a plate supported by said supporting rollers, a pin depending from the plate to the front and another to the rear of the rollers, the pins being loosely fastened in the plate so as to be tiltable with respect to one another, a guide roller rotatably 10 mounted on eachpinand, adapted to be between the ra'ilswhen the, carrier is} moving along, the rails, ongomapin r immediately below the guide roller stop-means wider. than the guide roller, and-meanson the pin.below the stop meansfor attachment, of 'a, curtain.

12,,IA, curtain carrier. adapted to move along two parallel, spaced rails, which carrier. includes a, rigid frame, means, rotatably secured to said frameand being, adapted to support said frame on, the rails, vertical supports secured to and den-endin .fromsaidf a a a t ne fl w c is tiltable withrespect to the frame, oneof, said suppouts, being located toward the, front; of; the carrier and; the other. being located toward: the rear thereof, a guide, roller on each support and bein v adapted to be,v located to move between the, rails, said, supports being. tiltable soas to facilitate, the-1156.: of, the carrier on a curved track, curta'inrsuppor-ting means fastened toone of the, supports; and, stop means. on; the other support. below theguide roller, said, stop means being w lder than'the spac between the: rails.

13. A, curtain, carrier adapted to move on a track. formed of, two spaced, parallel rails with asliidemember above-the track and along one side, thereof;, which, carrier comprises a. spacing memberlocated longitudinally, of. the carrien, a wing. from One; side of the spacing member, a foll w n her on, dap d: o. n a t h uid memben, spaced 'inwandly from, the follower. and above, the spacing means a guide between which and, thefellower a, cable is adapted to move, a feedebacliattachmentsurrounding thecable and fast neditd hie, c r ies, a hor zon ax e as n perpendicularly to the spacingmember, a supporting roller at each end of the axle adapted to move along the respective rails, one hole in the spacing member in front of the axis and a like hole in the spacing member behind the axis, a lower plate, holes in the lower plate spaced the same distance as the holes in the spacing member and at substantially the centerline of the carrier, pins loosely mounted in the holes so as to be tiltable with respect to one another and broadened at each end to prevent removal from the holes, the forward pin being somewhat longer than the rearward pin, a guide roller on the forward pin between the spacing member and the lower plate, a chain fastened to this pin above the guide member, and fastened to the pin below the lower plate curtain-carrying means, a guide roller on the rear 'oin bet een th v spacing member and the lower plate, another chain fastened to this pin between the guide roller and the spacing member, and on this pin below the guide roller a block wider than the space between the tracks, the guide roller on the forward pin being supported by this block. the two ends of the lower plate being flanged downwardly and at about the center of the front and back ends of the lower plate a notch into which the respective chains hang when they are not under tension.

14. For use on a track formed of two spaced, parallel rails, a curtain carrier which includes two rollers in axial alignment adapted to be supported by the respective rails, two pins loosely fastened to means supported by the rollers so as to be tiltable with respect to one another, one in front of the axis of the rollers and the other behind said axis so as to facilitate the use of the carrier on a curved track, and a guide roller rotatably mounted on each pin and adapted to be between the rails when the curtain carrier is supported on the rails.

15. For use on a track formed of two spaced, parallel rails, a curtain carrier which includes two rollers in axial alignment adapted to be supported by the respective rails, means sup ported by said two rollers and two pins loosely fastened thereto so as to be tiltable with respect to one another, one in front of the axis of the rollers and the other behind said axis, a guide roller rotatably mounted on each pin and adapted to be located between the rails, the pins being tiltable so as to facilitate the use of the carrier on a curved track, and at the bottom of one of the pins curtain-carrying means.

16. For use on a track formed of two spaced, parallel rails, a curtain carrier which includes two rollers in axial alignment adapted to be supported by the respective rails, means supported by said rollers, two pins loosely fastened to said means so as to be tiltable with respect to one another, one in front of the axis of the rollers and the other behind said axis, a guide roller rotatably mounted on each pin and adapted to be located between the rails, the pins being tiltable so as to facilitate the use of the carrier on a curved track, curtain-carrying means at the bottom of one of the pins, and stop means wider than the space between the rails below the guide roller on the other pin.

17. In combination with a track formed of two spaced, parallel rails and a guide member above the rails and at one side thereof, a carrier formed with supporting rollers in axial alignment, means supported by the rollers, two pins loosely fastened thereto so as to be tiltable with respect to one another, one of the pins being forward of the axis of the rollers and the other pin being to the rear thereof, a guide roller on each pin below the supporting rollers and located in the space between the rails, fastened to one end of the carrier a vertical axis with a follower thereon which contacts the guide member, spaced inwardly from the follower a stationary guide, the follower and stationary guide being adapted to accommodate a cable between them, and means connecting the carrier with the cable.

18. In combination with a track, two carriers thereon, a spacing chain with its respective ends fastened to substantially the longitudinal center line of the carriers, a plate in each carrier below the chain and extending in a longitudinal direction to the point where the chain hangs when the carriers are brought together, and. a notch across the center of the rear edge of the plate of the forward carrier and a notch across the center of the front edge of the plate of the rear carrier, the edges of the notches substantially coinciding to provide a space in which the chain hangs when the carriers are in abutting relation.

EARL J. VALLEN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 289,961 Birmingham Dec. 11, 1882 1,188,482 Phillips June 27, 1916 1,692,632 Dickey Nov. 20, 1928 2,201,804 Volland May 21, 1940 2,564,995 Rakeman Aug. 21, 1951 

